RSOT has created an LP of rich textures and warm soundscapes. Curiously the album contains a number of tracks that have quite a nice DJ quality.
Belgium’s Testtoon returns after the Summer sun with a double album. Red Stars Over Tokyo arrived on Testtoon with Crossing A Frozen Sea and the Melody Attack Remixes. Now he returns with some full length action, Melody Attack.
Bleeps. Squeaks. Fuzz. Burbles. Light keys. The album opens with the softness of “At The End of August.” An immediate organic quality begins to shine through. The gentle pings and echoing of pieces like “The Night Shines On Your Face” throws up memories of early 70s electronic experimenters. But there is some undeniable Techno influences to the album. The title track, with its steady rhythm and subdued mood, comes from the early 90s Ambient Techno scene. “Girls From Pyongyang” gurgles and squelches against a shifting backdrop. “A Place Where People Hide” is a darker excursion. Samples ghost through a thick haze of analogue reverb. “Stretch The Distance” is a superb gentle piece of Techno. Soft pulses punctuate warm analogue bars. “Sign Language” is a more insular piece. Static fizz swaddles samples and disturbs. “At Night At Home” closes the record. Globules of sound rise as undercurrents rumble and disperse.
RSOT has created an LP of rich textures and warm soundscapes. Curiously the album contains a number of tracks that have quite a nice DJ quality. 4/4 patterns allowing easy use for the mix minded, something rare for an Ambient record. This is album steeped in the traditions of 90s electronics but one that also looks at possibilities that exist in arena of modern Ambient music. An excellent piece of work from RSOT.
Melody Attack is available on Testtoon.
